Turnigy 500mAh 2s LiPo Depleating within a few minutes

Senior Member

I have been using the Turnigy 500mAh 2s battery and just recently it has been depleating awfully quickly without any use. I have it fully charged and plug it into my plane, go outside, full throttle, launch and already by this time it doesnt have enough battery to keep it in the air. I know it flies because i have flown with this setup but just recently it has been a real problem.

I dont believe i have discharged the battery too much. I tend to fly until the plane will no longer stay in the air and then recharge it. It is a relatively new battery which has ever come down after a flight hot to the touch but is often slightly warmer than at the beginning of the flight. The charger is a balance charger but i am wondering if it is adequate. I went with it because it was cheap and seemed to have some decent reviews.http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/stor...er_Cell_Checker_30w_2s_4s_AUS_Warehouse_.html

Just to be sure it is clear, 3v PER CELL. So your 2S battery should never get below 6v total. I wouldn't run it that low if I had the option to land it sooner than that. The other problem you might have is charging too fast too often. While a lot of the batteries in that range will charge at up to 5c charging them at that rate too often can harm the battery. It seems best to charge no higher than 2c if the battery will allow that much and only go up to those max charge ratings when you are at the field and just have to get something in the air. I killed 4 Zippy 500mah batteries this way when I first started flying. They were cheap but I charged them at their full 5c rating all the time in the field, they started losing voltage faster and faster until I had to let them go to the big lipo recycling center in the sky.

I too have issues sometimes with battery life. Normally it is because I'm flying too much throttle. If you can come off the power you will save charge for more time in the air. I have not yet over discharged a battery though, just want more time in the air.

Senior Member

I dont believe i have ever over discharged it because i have never seen it below 7v overall. By the sounds of it i am charging it too quickly. Should i buy a different more advanced charger such as the Turnigy Accucel 6 or something so i have more control over the charging of the battery?

Amateur Extra Class K5TWM

Between Motor Power at full throttle and rest of electronics you are very near the maximum full time draw from that battery. Personally I never charge any battery I have but the Turnigy Nano-Tech at more than the capacity of the battery (in this case 1/2A or 500mA) Nano-Techs I charge at up to 5C. If the charger does not allow charging below 1A I would consider another.

More combat please...

Yeah- if that charger is charging at the specs listed, you are charging at a 2C or 3C rate.
Not sure what the battery you are using is rated for...
How many charge/discharge cycles has this battery seen?

A charger like the AC 6 would give you greater flexibility but more importantly would let you know how much (mah) you are putting back in. In any case fortunately the 500 2s aren't too expensive

Senior Member

I would say the battery has seen about 20 charge/discharge cycles in its lifetime. I think what i will do is when i buy some new batteries i will buy something like the AC 6 so i have more control over the charging. If its of any interest the battery will normally be charged within half an hour.

Senior Member

Between Motor Power at full throttle and rest of electronics you are very near the maximum full time draw from that battery. Personally I never charge any battery I have but the Turnigy Nano-Tech at more than the capacity of the battery (in this case 1/2A or 500mA) Nano-Techs I charge at up to 5C. If the charger does not allow charging below 1A I would consider another.

Does the Nano-Tech stuff really make that kind of difference? You wont charge any battery over 1c but the Nano-Techs and you are ok charging them at 5c. Wow, that is saying a lot for Nano-Tech. I knew they were pretty good, but this seems like high praise.

I would say the battery has seen about 20 charge/discharge cycles in its lifetime. I think what i will do is when i buy some new batteries i will buy something like the AC 6 so i have more control over the charging. If its of any interest the battery will normally be charged within half an hour.

That AC 6 is a great charger overall. It was my first when I came back to the hobby. Now I have a larger 4 port charger that I think it the same exact thing multiplied a few times over, stuffed in a box with different stickers on it. I wouldn't be shocked at all if that was in fact this case with it.

If you have charged those batteries 20 times at full c rating there is a good chance they need to be replaced. I still have a lot to learn but that seems to be around the same point mine gave out and I was guilty of the same mistakes. Like the other posters said, lucky for you they are cheap.

Fly the wings off

I use an accucell 6 and I only use turnigy batteries. I have the nano techs and the regular ones and I always charge them at 1C. It takes roughly an hour to charge my batteries but I never have any trouble with them. I charge 500's at .5 amps, 1300's at 1.3 amps and 2200's at 2.2 amps etc. No matter the size, it takes roughly an hour with this rule of thumb and it's safe. Some batteries claim higher charge ratings but I don't push it. If I'm at the field and in a hurry I might try it but I try to carry enough batteries to not be in a hurry. I also bought two accucell 6 chargers so I can have a lot going on even at the field.

Amateur Extra Class K5TWM

Does the Nano-Tech stuff really make that kind of difference? You wont charge any battery over 1c but the Nano-Techs and you are ok charging them at 5c. Wow, that is saying a lot for Nano-Tech. I knew they were pretty good, but this seems like high praise. /QUOTE]

I have a couple of Nano-Techs I am testing on. They have a label on the back that states 5C Charge capable. I have about 15 charge cycles on them and no notice of puffing or degraded performance so far.

Amateur Extra Class K5TWM

mmeyer, yours is a fairly nebulous question and would require much more information before making a determination.

Your question is like asking how far can I go on a tank of gas. We don't know the car you are referring to, how much gas it holds, what engine it uses, what terrain you are traveling and lastly what is your driving style (little old lady on her way to church or NASCAR driver). NASCAR engines don't last long due to driving style.

Everything is interrelated so all specifications of the Plane, power system, flying style and weather conditions play a part in how long your battery will be useable. LiPo's are a finicky battery and fairly unstable chemistry. I ruined several till I figured out never discharge below 80%, never store with a full charge more than a day or 2, always store at 3.8V per cell (at least bring depleted batteries up to storage charge the day you use them if not planning to fly again for a few days). I have some I have used for 2 years with little to no puffing because they were maintained correctly. I have had some puff like a balloon in less than 2 months because stored at full charge .